Crazy Times on Pennylane

SANNIBAL LECTER...

2012-02-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

...That is Sally's new nick name for when she is eating baby squirrels and field mice that she catches. As I mention in previous blogs (see "Murder on Pennylane" and the one about Washaway laughing at inappropriate times) Sally catches and then proceeds to almost completely eat various prey. It is so gross! One time, Rachel and I were in the Smoking Lounge and she had left a squirrel head under my chair. She always catches prey and then brings them to the Smoking Lounge to devour. And I mean devour...bones and all! You can hear them CRUNCH!

Therefore TCW and I thought up a nick name for when she is such a cannibal. And what more appropriate name than a take off from one of your favorite movies Silence of the Lambs.

Her new nickname can be added to the already pretty extensive list of Sally nicknames: Salad, Creamy Parmesan, Evil Zlid, Salibu, Wombat, Wombatacus, TinkTink, Sally May Jefferson Jackson Johnson Washington....

(I think the pic above represents her in her killing personality!)

2012-02-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

~ Sherlock Holmes pursued the hobby of beekeeping after he retired from crime solving.

~ The only currency found in Abraham Lincoln's wallet after he was assassinated was a Confederate five dollar bill.

~ Hot tempered tennis star Goran Ivanisevic was forced to withdraw from the Samsung Open in Brighton, England in 2000 because he ran out of rackets during a match. The hard-serving Croat had smashed 3 rackets in three separate outbursts and didn't have another one with him.

~ A century old pair of Levi's jeans discovered in a long-abandoned Colorado coal mine was sold for $25,000 in 1997.

~ The spice turmeric gives American-style mustard its yellow color.

LOOKING GOOD!

2012-02-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Mardi Gras! Thanks Wino Bill for the great banner.

THIS COULD BE TROUBLE...

2012-02-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

...my friends and power tools....

...using a trash can as a saw horse...

...ingesting adult beverages...

...all in the comfort of Miss Polly's garage!

Carpenter BigDawes!

Dr. Sweephay and TCW!

Carpenter J and the Krewe! Wish us luck.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2012-02-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

~ The first players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League were required to attend Charm school classes during spring training. The AAGPBL, which existed from 1943 to 1954, was memorialized in the 1992 film A League of Their Own.

~ Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offers a performance degree in bagpipes. The university, founded by Scottish-born steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, has offered the degree since 1990.

~ Susan Lucci was nominated 19 times for an Emmy Award before she finally won in 1999.

~ Violet is the color that has the shortest wavelength. The visible colors, from shortest to longest wavelengths, are violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.

~ In personal ads, the acronym DDF stands for Drug and Disease Free.

I'M ALL WRIGHT

2012-02-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

Had a great time at the Right Wright's Friday for the Birthday/Family Reunion Singin'! Here they are singing a lovely duet! Thanks for providing such quality entertainment! Loved the Christmas Song!

Wait, who is that? Yes, it is Wino Bill, Btut and TCW....(sorry these pics are so dark)

"May I make a request? It is time to get our Broadway on...

"I want to wake up in the city that doesn't sleep....

...to find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap!"

Love the "jazz hand" K Right Wright

Thanks again for a wonderful time! And Happy Birthday R RW!

Happy Birthday KL (notice AndyRandy promoting his favorite team and the beer rings on the wine bottle)

I think TCW and Btut had a good time too!

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2012-01-31T14:44:00.000-08:00

~ A baby porcupine acquires a fully developed set of quills within days, sometimes hours, of birth. The quills are initially soft and bendable, but they harden quickly.

~ There are 23 shades of red in Crayola's box of 120 crayons - more than any other color. The closest is green with 20 shades, followed by blue with 19.

~ In American diner slang a "Noah's boy" was a slice of ham - a reference to Noah's second son, Ham.

~ The last two letters of the state of Kentucky's name (KY) is also its official U.S. Postal Service abbreviation. (It is also a name of a lubricant - just thought I would throw that in)

~ It takes approximately 100 gallons of water to grow a watermelon.

SOUTHERN FRIED THURSDAY

2012-01-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

Special shout out to my guest blogger today! Thanks Lisa TutB!

31 top things that you will never hear a Southern Redneck boy say:

31. When I retire, I'm movin' North.

30. Oh I just couldn't. She's only sixteen.

29. I'll take Shakespeare for $1000, Alex.

28. Duct tape won't fix that.

27. Come to think of it, I'll have a Heineken.

26. We don't keep firearms in this house.

25. You can't feed that to the dog.

24. That car is too old and unsafe to drive.

23. Wrestling is fake.

22. We're vegetarians.

21. Do you think my gut is too big?

20. I'll have grapefruit and grapes instead of biscuits and gravy.

19. Honey, we don't need another dog.

18. Who gives a rat's ass who won the Civil War?

17. Give me the small bag of pork rinds.

16. Too many deer heads detract from the decor.

15. I just couldn't find a thing at Wal-Mart today.

14. Trim the fat off that steak.

13. Cappuccino tastes better than espresso.

12. The tires on that truck are too big.

11. I've got it all on the C: DRIVE.

10. Unsweetened tea tastes better.

9. My fianc, Bobbie Jo, is registered at Tiffany's.

8. I've got two cases of Zima for the Super Bowl.

7. Checkmate

6. She's too young to be wearing a bikini.

5. Hey, here's an episode of "Hee Haw" that we haven't seen.

4. I don't have a favorite college team.

3. You guys.

2. Those shorts ought to be a little longer, Becky Mae.....darlin'

AND THE NUMBER ONE THANG THAT YOU WILL NEVER HEAR A SOUTHERN BOY SAY:

1. Nope, no more for me. I'm driving!

FAMILY PORTRAITS

2012-01-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

"Look Mom, family portrait time." We say this often when sitting on the couch with the Byebye. We always catch him looking so cute and lean over and mimic him and say "family portrait." It just so happens, the other night was the first time I caught it on film. Rayray and Byebye take direction well...

"Your are opening your eyes too much"

laughs...

"That's good, now tilt your chin toward the couch..."

"That's too much toward the couch..."

"Still too much..."

laughs...

"That's good!"

"Hey Mom, get this one."

"AWE" (Then I must have said something that made her smirk)

smirk... (but he looks soooo cute)

Byebye wants kisses...

Uh Oh, looks like he could be getting feisty....

"Give me a finger to gnaw on..."

They both are saying "I love you!"

But wait, what is this...back to being a professional...

"Look! Family Portrait!"

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2012-01-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

~ Ronald McDonald is known as Donald McDonald in Japan. The change was made because there is no "r" sound in Japanese.

~ In Canadian slang, a "silly sider" is a left-handed person.

~ The popular children's book "The Cat and the Hat" was written in 1957 in hopes of replacing the "Dick and Jane" elementary school primers.

~ James Caan popularized the expression "bada-bing" by uttering it, unscripted, as sonny Corleone in "The Godfather." Caan told an interviewer, "It just came out of my mouth - I don't know from where."

~ Lloyd's of London paid out only $3,019,400 in insurance claims resulting from the Titanic disaster.

GUESS WHO

2012-01-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

I was talking to someone on the phone last night. Imagine that. Can you guess who it was? We were pretty funny! I enjoyed the laughs.

Me: You should do your own taxes. They are really quite simple, people are just scared.
Other: I know, you are right. I have been paying a friend, but I think I will try to do them myself this year
Me: I will help you, it will be easy. I mean, you don't have any capital gains or losses or anything like that.
Other: I ain't got no capital 'nuttin.

SOUTHERN FRIED THURSDAY

2012-01-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Southern hospitality is a phrase used in American English to describe the stereotype of residents of the Southern United States as particularly warm and welcoming to visitors to their homes, or to the South in general.

Some characteristics of southern hospitality were described as early as 1835, when Jacob Abbott attributed the poor quality of taverns in the south to the lack of need for them, given the willingness of southerners to provide for strangers. Abbott writes:

“ The hospitality of southerners is so profuse, that taverns are but poorly supported. A traveler, with the garb and the manners of a gentleman, finds a welcome at every door. A stranger is riding on horseback through Virginia or Carolina. It is noon. He sees a plantation, surrounded with trees, a little distance from the road. Without hesitation he rides to the door. The gentleman of the house sees his approach and is ready upon the steps.”

Abbot further describes how the best stores of the house are at the disposal of visitors. Furthermore, says Abbott:

“ Conversation flows cheeringly, for the southern gentleman has a particular tact in making a guest happy. After dinner you are urged to pass the afternoon and night, and if you are a gentleman in manners and information, your host will be in reality highly gratified by your so doing."

Such is the character of southern hospitality.

Food figures highly in Southern hospitality, a large component of the idea being the provision of Southern cuisine to visitors. A cake or other delicacy is often brought to the door of a new neighbor as a mechanism of introduction. Many club and church functions include a meal or at least a dessert and beverage. Churches in the South frequently have large commercial style kitchens to accommodate this tradition, but many "fellowship suppers" are "covered dish": everyone attending brings a dish. However, if a newcomer arrives without a dish, he or she will be made to feel welcome and served generously. When a death or serious illness occurs, neighbors, friends, and church members generally bring food to the bereaved family for a period of time. A number of cookbooks promise recipes advancing this concept.

Other features of Southern Hospitality include proper local etiquette (i.e., calling one "Sir" or "Ma'am," opening doors for women (as well as men removing their hats when in the presence of a woman or inside her house), cooking enough for everyone who might be around at mealtime, inviting one to church functions, etc.) While persons from outside the region often mistake many of the southern hospitality customs as being disingenuous or fake in some way, in actuality the customs are often a way to make the visitor feel as comfortable as possible in an unfamiliar setting. Additionally, although some customs may be seen as odd or even offensive by people not from the South, they are considered polite in local culture and usually meant as an expression of traditional warm greeting

USELESS INFO TUESDAY (ACTUALLY ON TUESDAY)

2012-01-17T10:07:00.000-08:00

Big shout out to Rayray for once again providing her mom with a trivia calendar for Christmas so that her mom can provide you with 52 weeks worth (I hope) of useless info!

Today is my 750th post!

~ The first registered immigrant at Ellis Island when it opened on New Year's Day in 1892 was Annie Moore. She was from Ireland, and it was her 15th birthday. Statues of the teen commemorate her place in history both at her port of departure and on Ellis Island.

~ The largest snowflake ever measured was 15 inches wide by 8 inches thick, according to Guinness World Records. It was measured by ranch owner Matt Coleman at Fort Keogh, Montana in 1887.

~ Paul Newman recruited Martha Stewart to conduct a blind taste test of his salad dressing before he marketed it in 1982. She was, at the time, a neighbor in Westport, Connecticut.

~ In the world of designer dogs, a shorkie is a cross between a Shih Tzu and a Yorkshire Terrier.

~ The three letters "YKK" appear on the pull tabs of most zippers. The initials come from the Japanese-based company Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha that manufactures zippers sold worldwide. Its largest zipper factory, the largest in the world, is in Macon, Georgia. (Yes, I checked my zipper. It says "Levis".)

LADDER

2012-01-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

Yay! We got a new roof yesterday...and Rachel walked under the worker's ladder just like the lady above! I made her walk back under it and then walk around it. Just got me thinking....why is that a superstition? You all know how I love to learn about superstitions. Well, my sister-in-law gave me a superstition book for Christmas to go along with my already purchased "Dictionary of Superstitions." I thought it would be fun to look up the ladder superstition in my new book "Superstitions - 1013 of the Wackiest Myths, Fables, and Old Wives' Tales" by Deborah Murrell.

Everyone seems to know the superstition that is it unlucky to walk under a ladder. But why? There are three main theories:

The least likely is that a ladder forms a triangle with the wall it leans against and the ground. Since Christians believe in the Trinity, walking through a triangle would be disrespectful.

The second theory is also based on Christianity, but it refers to the ladder used to take Christ from the cross after his death. Some people say the devil was lurking there triumphantly, and trouble will come to those who walk through a triangle.

The third theory is that people who were about to die on the gallows had to climb up a ladder to get there. This does relate to earlier references that claim walking under a ladder would lead to death by hanging.

If I had to bet money on it, I would guess you shouldn't walk under a ladder in case it fell, or someone up there dropped something on you. LOL - Happy Monday

FRIDAY THE 13TH

2012-01-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody - Interesting week I have had...

water heater worked on - check
thermostat for the heat and air replaced - check
hole cut into the back of my house to fix a leaking drain pipe - check

Needless to say, been under some stress this week. Sorry I have not fulfilled my blogging obligation. Better luck next week!

The following is from MSN.com

In 2012, we will see three Friday the 13th's (the others fall in April and July), the maximum number that can occur in one calendar year. I

There are different theories on how Friday the 13th came to be, but the prevailing one is linked to The Last Supper. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th person to arrive at dinner, making 13 an unlucky number on any day of the week. Add to that the fact that Jesus died on a Friday, and Friday the 13th gets its bad rap.

Although people are far less superstitious now than they were in the past, the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina estimates that 17 to 21 million people in the U.S. have a diagnosable phobia of Friday the 13th. The illness Is called friggatriskaidekaphobia.

Part of the reason the number 13 is considered so treacherous, is simply because it’s right after 12. Numerologists consider 12 a “complete” number: 12 months complete a year, 12 signs complete the zodiac and 12 inches complete a foot.

You may have noticed that most buildings leave out the 13th floor, but did you know that planes often lack a 13th row and some hotels eliminate a Room 13? In Florence, the house between 12 and 14 is actually addressed as 12 and a half.

Some estimates suggest that the U.S. economy loses up to $900 million every time there’s a Friday the 13th—many people avoid business deals, or even work altogether, on the allegedly doomed date.

Some of our nation’s most famous 20th-century luminaries feared the day. Henry Ford declined to do any business, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt avoided travel. Rumor has it that FDR refused to roam not only on Friday the 13th, but also on the 13th day of every month.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MONDAY

2012-01-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

Huge shout out to Btut for hosting the National Championship party the other night! What a great game for all my Bama friends! We all had a wonderful time, ate good food (as referenced in the quotes), visited with good friends, and watched some damn good football!

L BigDawes and Btut in the smoking lounge...

...Lisa Tutb and TCW chewing the fat (TCW looks soooo serious and I believe they were talking about going somewhere to see a whole hog cooked in the ground - man, he takes his pork seriously!)

Wino Bill and M of S&M talking cigars - S of S&M was there, but I did not capture a picture of her...

...empty den at beginning of halftime - man, do we really ALL smoke?

Thanks again Btut .... and now, let's relive a wonderful experience with "Quotes of the Night"...

* She's putting the crackers in numerical order.

* I'm gonna mess up her crackers when she leaves the room.

* You just need to shut the f**k up.

* There's a bunch of Sassy Missy Missys up in here.

* I will just take clothes out there and change at their house after work, and drink their beer.

* Will you get me a beer - Roll Tide
     That is my seat - Roll Tide
     This chili is good - Roll Tide
     Get out of my way - Roll Tide
     I am going to sit in the chair with wheels - Roll Tide

* After all, pink and white make red......What?!? (She was having a "pretty" moment)

* You'll always be older than me, but hell, I don't care how old YOU are. (Talking about their own age)

* Are you making fun of my art?
     I would never criticize your art to your face.

* GD, I 'bout fell off the chair.

* It should be a law they have to cut their hair.

* Let me just tell you one thing - the food I have eaten here tonight is better than any I have ever eaten at the Hard Dock.

THURSDAY, JAN. 5TH: 6:00 - 7:00 pm

2012-01-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

(The title is my way of a shout out to the TV series 24)

* Went to BBG to get some Brunswick stew and ran into a dear old friend, who shall remain nameless. This coupon queen was trying her best to get 8 slices of pie for the price of 1. Friend and Family discount my ass!

* Leaving said restaurant, I ran into a dear old friend's ex husband. He was buying slaw.

(Guess Gibson's was the place to be)

* Arrived at home to clean out the storage in my carport. There is a leak in there (not the water heater) and we had to clear it out so we can figure out what is going on. Wash and Killer actually moved all the stuff for us, so TCW (who kindly offered to help) and I did not have to really lift a finger. That was nice. Oh, and Rayray didn't lift a finger either, but we all know that is not unusual.

* Jenfer came by to pick up her Christmas present. It was good to visit with her.

* While we were all outside, Sally came up with ANOTHER baby squirrel in her mouth. She loves to try to sneak these half dead animals in the house. Then they get away from her because they aren't really dead. Long story - involves Veronica - hilarious!

* Sally proceeds to chomp on the squirrel under Rachel's car. You can actually hear the bones crunching. For some reason, TCW, Wash and Killer LOVED this. It made me, Rayray and Jenfer kinda throw up a little bit. (Wonder why guys like that sort of stuff?)

* We all laughed at the way Wash laughs at inappropriate things. Like hearing the bones crunching, or seeing something deformed on TV, or Cockeye's eye, or when someone falls, or......

Have a great weekend!

USELESS INFO THURSDAY

2012-01-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

~ The female cuckoo catfish deposits its eggs among those of a mouth-breeding fish. After the eggs are taken into the unsuspecting host's mouth to be incubated, the cuckoo catfish eggs hatch first, and the babies eat the other eggs.

~ The average speed that a dart hits a dartboard in competition play is 40 MPH.

~ In Denmark, New Year's Eve celebrants throw old dishes at the homes of their friends. Danes save old dishes all year long to carry out this odd holiday tradition. A pile of broken dishes at the front door of a home indicates its residents have lots of friends.

~ George Washington had the Continental Army inoculated for smallpox in January 1777 during the American Revolution. He ordered the inoculations after say "we should have more to dread from smallpox than from the Sword of the Enemy."

~ The grass at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, England is cut to 5/16 inch for tournament play.

LUNCH IN LAWRENCEBURG

2012-01-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

After deciding not to eat the Kuntry Kitchen, I looked on my phone to find a unique place for TCW and I to eat. Someone mentioned the Square-40 restaurant on the square so we headed there.

It was absolutely delicious! The had a steam table, and you chose a meat and 3 veggies. Add in sweet tea, and cornbread or roll, all for $7.

You could choose from roast and veggies, barbecue, chicken and rice; veggies included green beans, mashed potatoes, turnip greens, hominy, stewed tomatoes and squash, butter peas...I forget what else.

We sat down and started pigging out! You needed to add no seasoning at all! Tasted just like your Grandma used to make! Even the cornbread was salty, not sweet, just like I like it!

If you are ever up there, I suggest you check it out!

Happy Wednesday!

LAWRENCEBURG WITH A K

2012-01-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

Many of you are aware of the fact that I can't stand when people spell words with a "K" that should start with a "Q" or a "C." I have made my position on this very well known both on this blog and in person.

Well, TCW and I made two trips up to Etheridge, TN this past weekend to do a little trading with the Amish community up there. We had a wonderful drive Saturday and then again on Monday. As we were driving down the strip in Lawrenceburg, TN, imagine my horror when I saw this below...

OMG! That is just almost tooooo disgusting. TCW said we really should eat there because the bigger sign out by the road said "Fine Dining!"

Fine dining my ass! Yea, I told him let's roll up in there with their "formika" tables and torn "plastik" table "kloths" and get us some "katfish" with a side of "kreamy" tartar sauce...oh, and don't forget the "kole" slaw!

Fine dining - hah - not with a name that could have come from some 1970's bad porn!

But we're not finished yet. We missed our turn to get on the highway to come home...and thank goodness we did! If not, we would have missed this....

...yep, you guessed it! The Kountry Kupboad Texaco!

I swear!

Of course, TCW was thirsty so we just HAD to stop for a drink.

I go a Koke and some peanuts!

USELESS INFO THURSDAY

2011-12-29T09:12:00.000-08:00

~ After 1912 the Olympic gold medal was no longer made entirely of gold. Under current regulations, each medal must me 92.5% silver and coated with at least 6 grams of 24-karat gold.

~ The Mona Lisa is not painted on canvas. Leonardo da Vinci painted her on a solid panel of fine-grained white poplar.

~ Nepal is the only country whose flag is not rectangular or square. It consists of two overlapping right triangles, or pennants, one above the other.

~ There are 118 reeds - or ridges - on the edge of a dime, 150 on the edge of a half-dollar, and 119 on the edge of a quarter.

~ A skunk can accurately aim its foul-smelling spray 15 feet.

SANTA'S ELVES!

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas break. I thought I would share with you what Jimmy and I spent last Friday doing.....

Yep. His grandaughter got this for Christmas, so we spent all day Friday in Birmingham assembling Fort Tatum! Needless to say...it was a labor of love!

Hope you all have a very safe and Happy New Year!

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

2011-12-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

I might have gone a bit overboard this year....

Merry Christmas!

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-12-21T10:23:00.000-08:00

~ A Wendy's fast food served as the McDowell's Restaurant where Prince Akeem, portrayed by Eddie Murphy, worked in the 1988 film Coming to America. It was in Jackson Heights in New York City and was closed for renovations at the time.

~ The laughing kookaburra (a native of Australia and New Guinea) is often used as a sound effect in jungle films because it's easily mistaken for the noise made by a group of monkeys.

~ When it comes to Italian sauces Bolognese means prepared in the style of Bologna. Marinara means prepared sailor-style. The simple meatless sauce was once a staple aboard Italian ships.

~ Martha Stewart listed her motto as "I do what I please and I do it with ease" in her high school yearbook. In 1959 she was a senior at Nutley High School in Nutley, New Jersey.

~ In the United Kingdom, plastic wrap is called cling film.

WEEKEND REWIND

2011-12-19T13:42:00.000-08:00

Had a busy, busy weekend...

1. Finished Christmas shopping (well, almost - haven't bought groceries for the big meal)

2. Moved art from Mom's old house to her apartment (and when I say art, I don't mean 3 or 4 pictures, more like 25)

3. (Best thing I did) Went to see Washaway (Rachel's boyfriend) play music on Saturday! Wash plays the drums.

http://lafango.com/epk/grayblackandwhite#.Tud6N-sPg04.facebook

Gray Black and White made their debut Saturday...and they rocked. We all had so much fun listening to them. The venue was a little iffy, but it was fun!

Thanks so much to TCW, Wino Bill, BTut and the Big Dawes for coming to see them!

CALL ME REALLY CRAZY...

2011-12-14T13:31:00.000-08:00

...but when my boyfriend told me he would like one of these food choppers from Tupperware for Christmas, I just had to get it for him.

Call me crazy, because it cost $70 and I bought it anyway.

Call me REALLY CRAZY, because as I was checking out they said I only had to spend $15 more dollars for free shipping...(can you see where this is going?)...so I went back and changed my quantity to 2! Yep, I got one for myself. I couldn't just find something for $15....no, I had to spend an additional $70.

I am such a sucker for free shipping.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-12-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

~ It takes approximately 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.

~ Nikita Khrushchev was barred from visiting Disneyland during the cold war in 1959 for security reasons. The Soviet premier raged, "What is it, do you have rocket-launching pads there?"

~ The eight Rocky Mountain states are Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

~ Clark Kent, aka Superman, worked as a reported at the "Daily Planet." Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, worked at the "Daily Bugle" as a freelance photographer.

~ According to legend, the thistle became the national emblem of Scotland when Norse raiders slipped ashore at night in 1263. They went barefoot to avoid alerting the sleeping Scots. The strategy failed after one of the invaders stepped on a prickly thistle and screamed in pain, rousing the clansmen - who then defeated the Norsemen in the Battle of Largs.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS...

2011-12-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

The trees are up! And they look fantastic! Rayray surprised me and set up her Disney tree all by herself! I know that sounds funny considering she is 21, but this is the first year she did it all. It looks great and makes our den so festive!

Here's Pooh, and you can see the Genie from Aladdin on the right and Mickey tangled up in lights on the left...

....wouldn't be Disney without 101 Dalmatians....

...and it wouldn't be 101 Dalmatians without Cruella!

Here's is our family tree (kinda fuzzy). It is quirky and fun just like us! Our ornaments range from places we've been, movies and tv we love, just anything! And we love it that way!

Survivor ornament feels completely at home next to sock monkey!

The Island of Misfit Kids love hanging out next to a tacky yellow Empire State Building!

And, of course, we have to have the "LEG LAMP" from A Christmas Story. This is one of many ornaments from that movie we have.

And topping it all off is the real kicker! Rayray bought me this star last year from Anthropology, and I love it! It is perfect for our tree!

(Photos courtesy of Rayray!)

FUNNY THINGS I HEARD THIS WEEKEND

2011-12-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

"My grandkids are all girls except the one that's a boy."

"If it doesn't burn my mouth I'm not happy."

"Sally threw up in the sock drawer."

"She wants to stop at Costco and get the economy sized thing of Brazil nuts."

singing "Cover me up before you go go...." (Wake me up before you go go)

"It's just...we're fat and we're married. That's it."

"The other conferences should be glad that Bama and LSU are going to the championship....at least they are guaranteed an SEC team will lose. That's the only way."

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-12-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

~ French born wrestler Andre the Giant fought under the name Monster Eiffel Tower early in his career.

~ The Kansas City Chiefs holds the National Football League record for most yard penalized in a single season with 1,304 penalty yards in 1998.

~ Crocodiles swallow stones to help themselves dive deeper and remain submerged longer. It also aids in digestion.

~ The popular 1969 buddy movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" ends with the understatement, "For a minute, I thought we were in trouble." The words were spoken by Cassidy (Newman).

~ The minimum size set for holes in U.S. manufactured Grade A Swiss cheese is 3/8 inch. The maximum is 13/16 inch. The voluntary standards were set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2001. Previously the holes, or eyes, had to be larger - between 11/16 and 13/16.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

2011-12-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

Does anyone think it is weird that I, a 42 year old woman, was one of the 10 million viewers that tuned in to watch "Rudolph" on CBS Tuesday night? I certainly don't. Yep, I sat at my house, by myself (Josh could only handle about 3.7 minutes of it), and thoroughly enjoyed it! I will admit I had to go outside and smoke when all the other reindeer were being mean to Rudolph at training.

I was so inspired that I had to do....

....THIS! A few years ago Rayray and I found most all the the characters for sale at Dollar General. So, I just sat them up in the den where I can enjoy them this Christmas Season!

Have a good weekend!

SOUTHERN FRIED THURSDAY

2011-12-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

"I suggest that the true Southland is that territory within which, when asked by an outsider whether he is a Southerner, the reply almost invariable is "Hell Yes!" This 'Hell Yes' line has the advantage of eliminating the ambivalent wishy-washy fringes, and leaving the unquestionable defiant, hard-core Southland.
     ~ Hamilton C. Horton, Jr.

"I would have been alright if I'd never left the South."
     ~ "Martha the Mouth" Mitchell, wife of Nixon campaign manager/attorney General John Mitchell

"Horizons without a red clay motif are somebody else's horizons."
     ~ Lewis Grizzard

"...the green kudzu vine covered the sides of the mountains...and the air was heavy and moist with the smell of gardenias and barbecue."
     ~ Fannie Flagg, "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe"

"There is a profound conviction that the South is another land, sharply differentiated from the rest of the American nation."
     ~ W.J. Cash, "The Mind of the South"

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-11-29T15:27:00.000-08:00

~ Wisconsin produces more than half of the U.S.'s cranberry crop. Massachusetts is second, followed by New Jersey and then Oregon. The rest of the nation's crop is grown in Washington, Maine, Michigan and Minnesota.

~ Korea was once known as the Hermit Kingdom because of its strict isolationism in the late 19th century, before it signed trade agreements with the U.S. and other Western nations.

~ Before the collapsible metal tube was invented, artists commonly used small pouches made from a pig's bladder to hold their oil paints. The metal tube was invented in 1841 by South Carolina portrait artist John G. Rand. (I was tempted to find a picture of a pig's bladder)

~ The width of a cut made by a saw is called the kerf.

~ When computer scientist Scott Fahlman introduced the smiley face emoticon in 1982 it was called the joke marker. Fahlman, who is known as the father of the emoticon, created the :-) symbol so people would know when an e-mail was not intended to be taken seriously.

TURKEY TRIVIA!

2011-11-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

OOPS! This was supposed to post on Thanksgiving! Sorry!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Quiz courtesy of Aristotle, Inc.

1. When was the first Thanksgiving celebration?

a. 1492
b. 1567
c. 1621
d. 1777

2. Where was the turkey first domesticated?
a. Canada
b. Mexico and Central America
c. New Zealand
d. India

3. What is a female turkey called?
a. a rooster
b. a cuckoo
c. a chick
d. a hen

4. What is a male turkey called?
a. a larry
b. a clark
c. a harry
d. a tom

5. What great American statesman lobbied to make the turkey the national symbol?
a. Benjamin Franklin
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. John Adams
d. Andrew Jackson

6. What sound does a female turkey make?
a. gobble
b. cluck
c. chirp
d. peep

7. What sound does a male turkey make?
a. gobble
b. click
c. chirp
d. peep

8. About how many feathers does a mature turkey have?
a. 1,500
b. 2,000
c. 3,500
d. 5,000

9. Which state produces the most turkeys annually?
a. Kansas
b. Ohio
c. Arkansas
d. Minnesota

10. How fast can wild turkeys run?
a. 5 mph
b. 15 mph
c. 25 mph
d. 45 mph

11. How does Arkansas rank among the other states in turkey production?
a. first
b. third
c. eighth
d. fourteenth

12. What Native American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the colonists?
a. the Wampanoag tribe
b. the Sioux tribe
c. the Choctaw tribe
d. the Arapaho tribe

13. Can wild turkeys fly? If so, how fast?
a. No.
b. Yes, up to 25 mph
c. Yes, up to 40 mph
d. Yes, up to 55 mph

14. Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Thanksgiving?
a. 49%
b. 67%
c. 82%
d. 90%

15. Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Christmas?
a. 34%
b. 50%
c. 67%
d. 89%

16. What is the name of the skin that hangs from a turkey's neck?
a. snark
b. wattle
c. garble
d. swag

17. Which U.S. president specified that Thanksgiving would fall on the last Thursday of November?
a. Martin Van Buren
b. Andrew Jackson
c. William H. Taft
d. Abraham Lincoln

18. Which president attempted to move the Thanksgiving holiday to the fourth Thursday in November to create a longer Christmas shopping season?
a. Franklin D. Roosevelt
b. Dwight D. Eisenhower
c. Harry S. Truman
d. Gerald R. Ford

19. Which country consumes the most turkey per year per capita?
a. The United States
b. Israel
c. Spain
d. The United Kingdom

20. What is the best way to defrost a turkey?
a. with a hair dryer
b. in the refrigerator
c. in cold water
d. in the microwave oven

ANSWERS:
1. 1621
2. Mexico and Central America
3. a hen
4. a tom
5. Benjamin Franklin
6. cluck
7. gobble
8. 3,500
9. Minnesota
10. 25 mph
11. third
12. the Wampanoag trive
13. yes, up to 55 mph
14. 90%
15. 50%
16. wattle
17. Abraham Lincoln
18. Franklin D. Roosevelt
19. Isreal
20. in the refrigerator

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-11-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

~ An African elephant's ear can weigh up the 110 pounds. Each of their ears measures as much as 6 feet high and 4 feet wide.

~ James Dean was the only performer to be nominated twice posthumously for a Best Actor Oscar. he was nominated for East of Eden (1955) and Giant (1956), but didn't win either. He died September 1955.

~ In Greek mythology, the river Styx circles Hades nine times.

~ During WW II Operation Sauerkraut was the code name of a successful Office of Strategic Services project in which disaffected Germans (aka sour krauts) were recruited in prisoner-of-war camps to slip behind enemy lines to spread rumors and distribute Allied propaganda.

~ The town of Snowflake, Arizona got its name, not from precipitation, but for its two founders, Mormon pioneers Erastus Snow and William Flake in 1878.

NO DOUBLE CHINS HERE!

2011-11-16T15:14:00.000-08:00

SOMEDAYS I WISH I WERE SALLY....

2011-11-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

...no worries, no expenses, no crisis in her life. All she has to worry about is eating and sleeping, and occasionally Tay, the neighbor's cat. Yes, I could live her life, soaking up the sun on a warm day....

...but I probably wouldn't do it on the hood of a car.

Love you Salad, Evil Zlid, Wombat, Sally Jefferson Jackson Johnson Washington Campbell.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-11-15T15:19:00.000-08:00

~ A cross between a camel and a llama is called a cama. Because of the great size difference between the camel and the llama, artificial insemination was used to produce the first cama, a male named Rama, in 1998.

~ In the famous Mary Shelley horror story, Frankenstein's first name was Victor.

~ 625 square feet of lawn is needed to provide a day's oxygen needs for one person.

~ The only crime that can disqualify a prisoner in Vermont from voting is election fraud. Vermont and Maine are the only two states that permit prisoners to vote (by absentee ballot).

~ King Uther was the name of King Arthur's father. His full name was Uther Pendragon.

BAMA GAME LAST SATURDAY

2011-11-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

Had a wonderful time at the BigDawes last Saturday for the Game.

Btut was worm and snuggly decked out in PLS...

...Wino Bill, Dr. Sweephay and J enjoying the fire....

...Khef and WB...looking ominous...

...great picture of Btut and L BigDawes....

But, all of a sudden...it was time for the group to head to the kitchen where...

...the Reverend R AndyRandy lead us in service..."Can I get an Amen?"



"AMEN!"                      (I love the fact that Clickity Clack participated!)

Guest Blogger

2011-11-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

LBD (L Big Dawes) got caught up on my blog this morning. We have been emailing back and forth about it, and I thought I would use one string of her emails as a guest blog...

Ok, now I’m all caught up. I also noticed in your cumpkin parving blog, an orb in one of your photos.

An orb captured in a photo can mean it was a spirit captured in the photograph. If it is a spirit, perhaps it was telling us who would be the winner of the contest?

Spooky, eh?

Thanks,
Lois Dawes

Then she sent another...saying this photo had 4 orbs. I could only see two so she resent the photo with a key and then an even better key! (Rayray is sitting at the table in the white jacket with one right over her head!)

Wait, this answer key is better:

The one marked out on the far right is actually the neighbors satellite dish. Not really sure if the one directly behind TCW's leg is one or not.

Thanks LBD for making me laugh and guest blogging!

ALL HALLOWS EVE

2011-11-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

As Btut graciously pointed out to me in an email this morning, I am grossly behind on my blogging. I do have so much to blog about, but have been extremely busy and stressed. I will try to do better. I have enjoyed letting my inner social butterfly bloom lately and have been busy having fun on the weekends with my friends. Do not be discouraged....I will get caught up on the blog before the weekend...

So, in order to do just that, let's go back to where I left off...the day after Cumpkin Parving and two days after Walk your paws for the cause with the Dawes...was Halloween! We spent it at the BigDawes and had a wonderful time.

Btut honed in on her inner Feline or her inner Jan dressed as a Feline. (I know this is crazy, but every time I talked to her I thought I was talking to Jan - TCW's step Mom)

Here is the Black Swan as portrayed by L BigDawes...

...getting her "ballet" on!

Princess Jasmine was there...or Slum Dog Millionaire...I am not sure which.

And what Halloween would be complete without flaming pumpkins. Thanks the Conductor BigDawes the flaming pumpkins were a huge hit! (and they were warm)

We had so much fun! A guest fiddler even made his way over and put on an impromptu performance.

Quote of the night: "I might be cold on the outside, but I am warm on the inside."
Food of the night: Candy - lots of it
Color of the night: Black
Into the night
Night of the living dead
Saturday night fever
In the heat of the night
A nightmare on elm street
After mid night, were gonna let it all hang out...

...Wait, I believe I lost my train of thought...

RECONCILING ITEM

2011-11-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

I got a refund check from my car finance company...

...are you kidding me? Six whole cents? Does that mean that I have been overpaying 1/2 cent every month for a year?

Can any of you guess how long this will be an outstanding check on their bank reconciliation?

WALK FOR THE CAUSE USE YOUR PAWS WITH THE DAWES

2011-11-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I "volunteered" at the Walk Your Paws event in Decatur. (Many of you will understand why volunteered is in quotations!) We had a great time. I especially liked the demonstrations by the search and rescue dogs and the police K-9 unit.

We had a chance to visit with the BigDawes the night before. Miss Chiquita (blog name) was looking so forward to the big day! She was riding high in her new chariot getting ready for her big debut on Saturday!

Clickity-Clack (blog name) was in there too, but he was not so much up for being on exhibition...

...he really just wanted to sack out in the back seat and enjoy the ride!

But Miss Chiquita - that is another story. She rode up front with her head held high! She was ready to be a show off at the Paws event.

However, it was not meant to be.

It seems that Miss Chiquita did not realize she would have to share the lime light with other canines. (Clickity Clack misbehaved shortly after these pictures were taken and did not even arrive at the event.) When TCW and I arrived at the park L BigDawes was putting Miss Chiquita in the car. Such a shame because she was rocking her little pink and black outfit. Seems Miss Chiquita was trying to insight a riot. As L BigDawes informed us "This is a pet friendly event, and my pet is not friendly."

Other memorable quotes:

* Awe, he doesn't like the fuzzy in his mouth.
* They sure win the "owner-pet" look alike contest.
* I hope that cop signed a waiver.

Any way, it has been almost a week, and we can't remember anymore quotes. Need to keep a pen and paper handy...I normally do when alcoholic beverages are involved!

Have a good weekend!

USELESS INFO THIS WEEK

2011-11-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

~ In the comics, Casper the Friendly Ghost's galloping horse was named Nightmare.

~ Tenzin Gyatso is number 14 in the line of Dalai Lamas that began in 1391. He was recognized as Dalai Lama in 1937 at the age of 2. All successors to the first Dalai Lama are regarded by followers of the Tibetan Buddhist order as reincarnations of their predecessors and the manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion.

~ There are 17 decks on the Queen Mary 2 - of which 13 are dedicated to passengers.

~ In thoroughbred racing a shadow roll is a large sheepskin band that is fastened over a horse's nose to prevent it from seeing its own shadow and possibly shying or jumping away from it.

~ According to a U.S. government study, snowboarding is the most dangerous outdoor sport. In a survey of hospital emergency room admissions conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was published in 2008, snowboarding accounted for 25.5 percent of all outdoor sports injuries reported.

2011 CUMPKIN PARVING

2011-11-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

Well, hooray for another wonderfully successful Pumpkin Carving! What a day! We had a record crowd, and everyone had a great time. Beautiful weather, creative people, good food, chillin' with good friends - what more could you ask for?

Shout out to the two best pumpkin gutters EVER! Thanks Jenfer and Lisa TutB! That's baby Wyatt and his parents sitting in the back ground in the sun. His first pumpkin carving!

All of us having a great time...

...there are the RightWrights and Wino Bill sitting by the fire.

Triple T and Big D, L BigDawes hard at it trying to win that prized trophy! Big D was runner up.

There were 36 pumpkins to be judged. Thanks to S&M for judging...I know it was hard.

I love this picture. I stole it from Blacy's facebook page.

Got to have the pyrotechnics! There's Washaway - Rachel's boyfriend - with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

And the winner is....Jacob! KrisT's boyfriend - and first time attendee!

I love this pic of TCW and KrisT. Thanks TCW for having a great get together! Love!

Favorite Quotes:

* "I can't see it." "See it?" "No, I can't see it." (trying to figure out what the carving was)

* Laura Leigh's pumpkin is just "eh".

* We won too. We gutted every damn pumpkin here.

* I hope they signed a waiver.

* Johnny Cash broke the house.

* The back yard looks like a field trip for the mentally challenged.

* TIM! THE GATE IS OPEN!

* Where's my jacket? - I'm wearing it.

* Ain't there no Americans here? Where the Color Guard is?

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

2011-10-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Some animals simply hide from predators, concealing themselves in burrows, under rocks or leaves, in tree hollows, or in other niches where they are hard to find.

Let's watch as the crouching lioness stalks her prey among the tall grasses.

Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or wispy shapes to realistic, life-like creatures.

When the great white shark bites it shakes its head side to side, helping the teeth saw off large chunks of flesh.

When deer are in the dark by the side of the road and a car's headlights shine on them, they are blinded momentarily and are susceptible to being shot.

Different animals live in different strata of the forest. For example, birds live in the canopy (upper leaves of trees) and in the emergent (the tops of tallest trees).

Some small animals appear to be harmless, but many tiny creatures around the world are capable of delivering a deadly knock-out to the unsuspecting human who crosses their path, as if to compensate for their small size.

CHESTS FOR CHARITY

2011-10-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Btut had a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness in which people gathered at the Brick to decorated bras. I missed that part of the fundraiser, but I was there Friday night when some of the bras were auctioned off. And Miss Btut and her hot, sexy models raised more than $500! Way to go!

Poor J BigDawes, he needed a little help and encouragement...I guess he has not had many chances to model women's underwear (at least not in public).

There...all done, and now he gets some extra special love from Btut! (Please notice that 2 out of 3 bras that J BigDawes modeled were Alabama Roll Tide)

This guy was nice and really had a great time!

He was a hoot too! All eyes on you!

Wino Bill trying to give the J BigDawes some pointers...I can hear J BigDawes saying "You know, I was the model for the highest priced bid tonight"...Uh Oh....wait...I think.....

...J BD started to channel his inner Zoolander! Too funny!

Bear seems like he has done this before!

Good times! Thanks guys for doing this for a good cause!

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-10-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

~ Ludwig van Beethoven's music serves as the official anthem of the European Union. The anthem is a version of "Ode to Joy," the final movement of his Ninth Symphony.

~ Honda and Subaru are the only two other vehicles mentioned in Bruce Springsteen's song "Pink Cadillac."

~ Portraits of George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette hang on either side of the speaker's rostrum in the U.S. House of Representatives. Washington to the right - de Lafayette to the left.

~ In Norman Rockwell's famous painting of Rosie the Riveter, she is crushing a tattered copy of Adolph Hitler's "Mein Kampf."

~ The proposed Washington Circumferential Highway was renamed the Capital Beltway after construction got underway in the early 1950's. The 64-mile long freeway encircles Washington, D.C.

'SPLAIN THAT, LEO

2011-10-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

I like Leonardo DiCaprio. He is a good actor...and not hard to look at. I really became a fan when I saw this picture of him last year...

"Hey Leo, Can I get a War Eagle?" I knew he had a exceptionally gifted mind.

Well, imagine my surprise when, during his Spring Fling with Blake Lively, low and behold, he was wearing this!

I told myself that

1. he was just giving a shout out to Tuscaloosa because of the recent tornadoes...

2. he felt really sorry for all of the people of Alabama during that horrific time and wanted us to feel his support...

3. he was having a bad hair day all the way over in the South of France and the only hat he could find to buy was an Alabama Crimson Tide one...

or (the most likely)...

4. he had just plain lost his mind!

It turns out that none of the above is correct. He has an obsession with college caps. If you google Leo and baseball caps you will see him, at one time or another, representing most of all colleges in the US. Hell, I went through a series of just him at LA Lakers games over the past two years and saw him sport: Georgia, UCLA, Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame, Louisville, Long Beach State, Virginia Common Wealth, Rhode Island, Arizona State, South Carolina, Michigan...even Austen Peay!

Now that I think of it, Titanic wasn't all that great.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-10-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been neglecting my duties! It has been a very busy month. I will try to do better.

~ Footprints or tracks left by animals are called pugmarks.

~ Christopher Columbus lost a total of 9 ships during his four expeditions to the New World - one, the Santa Maria, on the first expedition; four on the second; and two each on the third and fourth expeditions.

~ A giant anteater eats about 30,000 ants and termites in a day.

~ Five last names were shared by U.S. presidents: Adams (father and son John and John Quincy); Harrison (grandfather and grandson William H. and Benjamin); Johnson (non-relatives Andrew and Lyndon); Roosevelt (distant cousins Theodore and Franklin D.); and Bush (father and son George H. W. and George W.).

~ In Africa, where the Blue Nile and White Nile meet has been described by Arab poets as "the longest kiss in history." The merge at Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-10-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the short story upon which the 2008 film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was based. His story, which bears the same name as the movie, first say print in "Colliers" magazine in 1922.

~ The term "scapegoat" originated from the Old Testament (Leviticus 16:10), which recounts how Aaron, following God's direction, was to confess the sins of the people over the head of a live goat and then send it out into the wilderness in symbolic atonement for those sins. In the Jewish religion, Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement.

~ Four state capitals have the word "city" in their name - Carson City, Nevada; Jefferson City, Missouri; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

~ Admiral Richard E. Byrd took two and a half tons of Necco wafers on his second expedition to the South Pole. During the two year expedition, his men consumed an average of a pound of the tiny pastel candies each week.

~ When Muhammad Ali stated "I said I was the greatest, not the smartest" he was referring to the fact that he failed the U.S. Army aptitude test in 1964 with a score of 78.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

2011-10-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

"A lot of foreigners to Alabama's red clay want to mix it with sand. When you mix red clay and sand, you get concrete. That's not good dirt."

Yes, you heard it! From our own Dr. Sweephay via an article in the Decatur Daily. So please go see her at Sugar Magnolia's for all your botanical needs. She knows her dirt.

THIS JUST IN...

2011-10-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

...from Triple T and Big D:

Health Alert!

When you drink Vodka over ice, it can give you kidney failure.

When you drink Rum over ice, it can give you liver failure.

When you drink Whiskey over ice, it can give you heart problems.

When you drink Gin over ice, it can give you brain problems.

Apparently, ice is really bad for you!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

2011-10-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

The following has been brought to you by AndyRandy Productions. Any unlicensed use of this program is punishable by fines and/or prison sentence. Thank you.

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-10-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

~ The state of Alaska is hit by more than half of the earthquakes recorded in the United States. It straddles the border of two tectonic plates. It is hit with a magnitude 7 to 8 earthquake almost annually, and with a "great" earthquake - magnitude 8 or higher - an average of once every 13 years.

~ The very first item sold on Ebay was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83, in September 1995. At the time, Ebay was called AuctionWeb.

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne created the Gray Champion, the first superhero in American fiction. He was an aged ghostlike figure who stood up alone against British troops advancing toward colonists gathered on a Boston street. He appears in the short story "The Gray Champion," published in "The New-England Magazine" in 1835.

~ During the first holiday meal of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) apple slices are traditionally dipped in honey. After taking bites of the honey-dipped apple, holiday observers recite a special prayer in which they ask God for a good and sweet new year.

~ Super Bowl Sunday ranks second only to Thanksgiving when it come to highest food consumption in the U.S.

BACON-WRAPPED PIG SKIN

2011-10-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

Had a great bacon-wrapped day Saturday at the Big Dawes' for the football games.

First off, let me start by saying we all missed Mrs. BigDawes lots! She was in Canada; therefore, not home.

Second, let me protect myself by issuing the following statement: "The blog you are about to read is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." (Who am I kidding, no one there was innocent - except maybe that 9 year old boy that was there in the den)

As you can see, Mr. BigDawes was so elated when we all showed up at his house to party!

You can always find TCW near the food, especially if Dr. Sweephay brings the sweets (which she did).

A AndyRandy relaxing with his step son Johnny Cash. (I guess you could say that Johnny Cash was is also innocent).

BTut in all her glory - War Damn Eagle!

Mr. Right Wright and Wino Bill holding down their chairs.

Mr. and Mrs Right Wright - I love y'all. Y'all are sooooo funny!

R AndyRandy with their brother J.

S&M came for the Bama game...

...along with L'il Debbie...

...Cousin It... (Blacy)

...and our Ghost!

Good Times, Good Friends, Good Weather, Good Football! What a great way to start October.

Now, my new favorite part of blogging about our get togethers...

Guess The Phrase! (try to figure out who said what)
~ Damn, that's wrinkle free
~ Bow to the in
~ I'm ready for somethin' bacon-wrapped
~ I have to love him, 'cause if not, he'd have to get off my barbecue team
~ Farmin's hard
~ That shit right there is crucial to the structure
~ 1: You don't have to whisper. 2: Yes we do. We don't want you to hear.
~ 1: I've got German in me. 2: Right now?

USELESS INFO - WHATEVER DAY IT IS

2011-09-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

~ Ohio has the largest Amish population in the U.S. followed by Pennsylvania and Indiana.

~ The rocker Kid Rock was named Robert James Ritchie at birth. Chris Rock's birth name is Chris Rock or Christopher Julius Rock III.

~ According to NASA, the most Mars like environment on Earth is in northern Chili, in the Atacama Desert, which has the driest and most lifeless soil on our planet.

~ Captain Hook's first name was James.

~ In Internet shorthand, lqtm means "laughing quietly to myself."

My car's shadow....

2011-09-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

...looks just like Shrek's head.

Just sayin'.

Group Participation

2011-09-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

This is an interactive blog post. You are going to act like they did at the end of "The hangover" when they flashed through the pictures. So, are you ready? Let's all sing along....

"You spin me right round, baby, right round."

Like a record baby...

Right, round, round, round.

You spin me right round...

baby, right round,

Like a record baby....

right, round, round, round.

You spin me right round, baby....

right round....

endorse this check, andy

no way...

way...

No, Baby!

You spin me right round

baby right round...

Like a bird, baby

flown down in the ground...

You spin me right round...

baby, right round,

Like a record, baby...

Right, round round round.

The End.

Thank your for your support.

MEN OF LBOS

2011-09-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

These guys are the meat of the team! (pun intended...no...wait, not that pun, get your mind out of the gutter...meat as in BBQ!)

They are dedicated.
They are passionate about their BBQ.
They play hard.

So, hears to you Andy AndyRandy, Bear, Randy AndyRandy, J BigDawes, and TCW! Thanks for all of the BBQ you have prepared for us, whether at a competition or just practice. Gosh knows, we all love the practice! And we love to be with you win you place 43rd out of over 80 professional teams! Improving with each year!

Bear - holding down the chair - is responsible for the brisket.

Randy AndyRandy grilled chicken this year. Andy AndyRandy helps everybody do everything! (and his name is on the check!)

J BigDawes does the butt. I am sorry I did not get more pictures of him this year. It won't happen again.

TCW grilled the ribs. Here he is with his Daddy. Love them both!

So, guys, keep up the good work, and thanks for all the good BBQ and fun times you have provided all your loyal fans!

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-09-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

~ Arabic is the language that is the source of the words admiral, alcohol, algebra, azure, and alfalfa.

~ Autumn became known as fall because it was initially called "fall of the leaf" in Middle English during the 16th century, and eventually was shortened to fall. The word crossed the Atlantic with early American colonists and continues to be used in the U.S., but it is now obsolete in Great Britain.

~ Only one member of the California-based pop band the Beach Boys was a surfer. Drummer Dennis Wilson was the only surfer, despite the group's hit songs that suggested otherwise - including "Surfin'," "Surfin' Safari," "Surfin' USA," and "Surfer Girl."

~ In a box of Grape-nuts cereal the percentage of grapes and nuts are both zero. The name was made up by the cereal manufacturer C.W. Post. Maltose, one of the original ingredients, was known as grape sugar in 1898 when the cereal was first marketed; and it's believed that "nuts" referred to the cereal's flavor and/or crunch.

~ When you ass up the total of all the numbers from 1 to 100 you get 5,050. (I bet Big D or Wino Bill will have to make sure this is true)

RIVERFEST!!!!!!!

2011-09-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well, where do I even begin? I had the best time at Riverfest this year. LBOS did a great job and grilled some delicious meat! I have so many pictures....I can blog all week about the great time had by all. Here is the team in their cool new shirts. (Miss Polly is sitting in the background).

L. BigDawes and BTut showing just how much the judges disliked the pie! Haha, I think they even licked the plate clean! (A. AndyRandy must have gotten a real important text not to be smiling in the camera. That's OK...I have plenty more pics of him later)

As a matter of fact, the judges liked BTut's dessert so much....THEY GAVE HER A PERFECT 180! LBOS won the dessert grand prize! Here is the evidence to prove it...BTut getting their ribbon, check, and perfect 180 pin!

Happy Happy AndyRandy and BTut!

The crown Princess and L. BigDawes...Shout out for the pie.....but then L. BIGDAWES' SAUCE CAME IN 7TH PLACE! Yay!!!!! So proud of them! (best quote of the day..."Now if us men could just cook some damn meat!")

Don't ask....more on this one later....but everybody had so much fun! (Look there's Dr. SweepHay and Greg Allman with AndyRandy!)

Wino Bill and Big D....

...and of course Triple T...in her tiara. (See joke about the tiara later)

The team again with their blue ribbon and the tent stake number....minus Bear but plus SteeRee. SteRee sales Big Green Egg Grills in Decatur.

Man, TCW is tall....Thanks to the team, and all of their supporters, we had a wonderful Saturday afternoon. (How did the Right Wrights manage to stay out of my pictures?)

Quotes from Saturday....see if you can guess who said what....

"I don't want to be Snow White. Why can't I be Cinderella?" - "Think of it this way, Snow White lived with 7 men."

"Now if us men could just cook some damn meat." - after BTut and L BigDawes did so good.

"Hey....You're not my husband."

"We got us a check for five hundred dollars!" - "Good, who is going to get the beer?"

"Your invisibility shield is not working too well."

"I won't wash that hand again." - "Hey, ,um, 4th grade just called and wants it's line back."

"You're pretty" (actually that was said a LOT)

Oh, Thought I might mention...this is also a very important blog for me, not just because I got to blog about Riverfest, LBOS, and my friends...this is my 700th blog! I can't believe it! Stay tuned....

GOOD LUCK, LBOS!

2011-09-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

My favorite BBQ team (L'il Bit 'O Smoke) will be competing this weekend at Riverfest in Decatur! Here are the usual suspects (of course taking a shot of brown liquor):

AndyRandy - check
The Big Dawgs - check
Bear - check
BTut - check
TCW - check

Wishing you lots of luck! I will be there cheering you on!

USELESS INFO TUESDAY, BUT IT IS WEDENSDAY, BECAUSE I FORGOT TO POST IT ON TUESDAY...

2011-09-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

~ A boa constrictor can move only about 1 mile per hour on open ground.

~ A Cairene is a native or inhabitant of Cairo, Egypt.

~ Bamboo was the wood used in making Charlie Chaplin's trademark Little Tramp cane.

~ Mercury, the winged messenger of the Roman Gods, was the first official symbol of the U.S. postal service. He was the symbol from 1782 to 187, when he was replaced by a running pony. The current symbol, the eagle, replaced the pony in 1970.

~ In days of yore, the occupation of a whacker was a driver of a team of horses or oxen.

THIS IS HIS HAPPY FACE

2011-09-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

LL: "Smile"
JIMMY: "I am smiling."

We actually did have a blast at Luke's 5th birthday party. We were the last to leave! Of course, we were watching football too, so we left at Bama's halftime. Jimmy was his pleasent self (cough, cough).

Here is the birthday boy with his prescious cousin Tatum. Gosh, I love those kids!

Wacky Wednesday...

2011-09-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

...just received this pic from Rayray. There seems to be a rooster in the smoking lounge at 1719! Why oh why can we not have a normal day? Crazy things are always happening to us!

Who the heck do you call about a rooster?

And where the heck did he come from?

I wonder how cocky (insert laugh) Sally will be with a bird that big.

(I could post a lot of vulgar puns with this one, but I will refrain!)

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-09-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

~ In the world of Japanese sports, the Curse of Colonel Sanders means years of losing baseball. It started with a losing streak of the Hanshin Tigers of Osaka, that began in 1985 after fans swiped a statue of Colonel Sanders from a local Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet and tossed it into a nearby river while celebrating the team's national championship victory.

~ There are 121 holes on a standard Chinese checkerboard. There are 61 in the hexagon in the center of the board and 10 in each of the triangular points of the board's six-pointed star.

~ Rob Roy is a name shared by a cocktail drink, a novel, an operetta, and a movie. They are all named for Rob Roy McGregor, an 18th century Scottish Robin Hood-like character. The drink generally consists of scotch, vermouth, bitters and a cherry.

~ Before designing Chatty Cathy and Barbie dolls for Mattel Toys, engineer Jack Ryan designed missiles for the U.S. military. Working for the Raytheon Company, Ryan helped create the Sparrow and Hawk missile system.

~ Artist Georgia O'Keeffe once snapped "I hate flowers - I paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move." She is known for her large, sensuous paintings of flowers.

OUT TO LUNCH

2011-08-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

...Don't worry, I will be back. But this week is not looking good for blogging. Just didn't want my readers (all two of you) to worry. Hopefully I will be back at the end of the week, or this weekend. Definately back to business next week.

Love

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

2011-08-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Remeber the Shazam!/Isis Hour on CBS in the 70's? I loved, loved, loved the show! Captain Marvel (Billy the teenager) spoke directly to the elders that empowered him via a communication device (who appear as animated characters: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.) Instead of being based in any one particular city, Billy and his guardian "Mentor" (Les Tremayne) traveled through 1970's California in an RV. In an era before cell phones, Mentor would make phone calls from the RV on a type of mobile phone, asking a "mobile operator" to dial the number.

But I especially loved Isis! You know I have always been interested in anything Egyptian. (I can't believe how much Catherine Zeta Jones looks like the actress!) Isis was Andrea Thomas a high school science teacher who found an ancient mystical amulet on an archeological dig in Egypt. The amulet belonged to Hatshepsut, an ancient Egyptian Queen and it gave the wearer the powers of Isis. Whenever Isis was needed, Andrea would reveal the amulet and recite an incantation ("O Mighty Isis!") and she would be transformed into the goddess Isis.

(Info from Wikipedia)

Here they are in action together...

...Ahhhh...the good old days.

Have a good weekend - SHAZAM!

SOUTHERN FRIED THURSDAY

2011-08-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

Today's guest blog comes from Btut! Thanks! BB tonight, double elim!!!!!

Some of these are repeats, but I found worth mentioning again:

Things you learn living in the South (obviously, this is for people who didn't grow up here, bless them!)

~ You don't carry things, you tote them
~ It's not a shopping cart, it's a buggy
~ People actually grow, eat and like okra
~ Iced tea is appropriate for all meals & you start drinking it around age two. It is considered the house wine of the South.
~ You know what a hissy fits is and the you don't throw one, you pitch one
~ Fall weddings are planned around the SEC football schedules
~ Some of the women aren't that smart sometimes, but at least they're pretty, bless their heart!

USELESS INFO TWEDNESDAY

2011-08-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

~ Bayer Pharmaceutical marketed a cough remedy under the brand name Heroin in 1898. The name grew out of the "heroic" feeling reported by the employees who tested it. The company stopped producing it in 1913. A year later it was outlawed in the U.S.

~ Dick Barrymore (ski-film producer) was named "Male Chauvinist of the Year" in 1971 for inventing the wet t-shirt contest. He organized the first contest in the Boiler Room Bar in Sun Valley, Idaho.

~ The board game Monopoly was used by the British Secret Service during World War II to hide maps, files, compasses, and money. The maps, with escape routes and safe houses were slipped into openings cut in the cardboard boxes. The files and compasses were disguised as playing pieces. German, French and Italian paper currency was hidden in packs of play money.

~ The first country to feature a dog on a postage stamp was Newfoundland in 1887. And, of course, the dog was a Newfoundland.

~ "Pan-Pan" is the distress call issued from a ship or airplane faced with an emergency that is not considered life-threatening. "Mayday" is used only when imminent danger threatens life or property and immediate assistance is needed.

FUN EARLY BIRTHDAY

2011-08-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Had a great time Saturday celebrating Triple T's birthday early. To have a little fun, I have put together a little one word montage of pictures...use your imagination!

QUEUED

RUDE

FOOD

GLUED

DUDES

LEWD

SUBDUED (NOT)

SEAFOOD

SCREWED

VIEWED

LOVED

SOUTHERN FRIED THURSDAY

2011-08-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

I have been swamped again at work and home this week. So, I reached out for some help for a guest blog. Lisa Tutb responded with a wonderful idea and information. With football season fast approaching (2 weeks from Saturday!!!!!!), she found some wonderful quotes from Southern football coaches.

Thanks Lisa Tutb. Love.

Bobby Bowden / Florida State - "Son, you've got a good engine, but your hands aren't on the steering wheel."

Bobby Bowden / Florida State - "After you retire, there's only one big event left....and I ain't ready for that."

Bear Bryant / Alabama - "It's kind of hard to rally around a math class."

Bear Bryant /Alabama - "I make my practices real hard because if a player is a quitter, I want him to quit in practice, not in a game."

Wally Butts / Georgia - "In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in Bear Bryant."

Paul Dietzel / LSU - "You can learn more character on the two-yard line than anywhere else in life."

John Heisman / Auburn - “Don't cuss. Don't argue with the officials. And don't lose the game.”

John Heisman / Auburn - "Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble this football"

Lou Holtz / Arkansas - "The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it."

Lou Holtz /Arkansas - (When asked if Fayetteville was the end of the world) - "No, but you can see it from here."

Shug Jordan / Auburn - "Always remember..... Goliath was a 40 point favorite over David."

Joe Namath / Alabama - "When you win, nothing hurts."

Erk Russell / Georgia Southern - "At Georgia Southern, we don't cheat. That costs money and we don't have any."

Bowden Wyatt / Tennessee - "My advice to defensive players: Take the shortest route to the ball and arrive in a bad humor."

Bear Bryant / Alabama – “Football changes and so do people. The successful coach is the one who sets the trend, not the one who follows it.”

Shug Jordan / Auburn – “Don't wait to be a great man. Be a great boy.”

Bobby Bowden / Florida State – “I'm not too proud to change. I like to win too much.”

And finally - Bear Bryant's 3 rules for coaching –

1. Surround yourself with people who can't live without football.
2. Have a wife who is willing to put up with a lot of neglect.
3. Have a plan for everything.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-08-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

~ In the popular Margaret Mitchell novel "Gone With the Wind" Scarlett O'Hara had 3 children each with a different husband. The first was a son, Wade; the second a daughter, Ella, the third, a daughter Bonnie. The first two children were eliminated from the 1939 movie.

~ The two symbols combined to create the antiwar peace symbol were the naval symbols for "N" and "D" - shorthand for nuclear disarmament.

~ In the "Star Wars" films Han Solo's home planet was Corellia.

~ A vespiary is a next or colony of wasps or hornets.

~ The favorite song of Ross Geller's pet Capuchin monkey, Marcel, on the TV sitcom "Friends" was "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

Happy Days are Here Again!

2011-08-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

My Boo came home last night. TCW and I were there to greet her. We had so much fun talking and laughing. Bye-bye and Salad were happy to see her She is having lunch with G-ma today. I am so proud of my daughter. I look forward to a great weekend of celebrating Rachel! Hope you all have a good one too.

ODE TO JULY

2011-08-10T12:41:00.000-07:00

One, Two
My roof got a boo boo.

Three, Four
My car cost me more.

Five, Six
Both cost lots to fix.

Seven, Eight
Mom's move in ran late.

Nine, Ten
Broken clavicle on the mend.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY (Actually on the correct day!)

2011-08-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

~ A dragonfly can fly about 36 miles per hour.

~ A grape is about 80% water; a raisin, about 15%.

~ Actress-director-producer Sofia Coppola, daughter of director Francis Ford Coppola, made her first screen appearance as the baby boy being christened in the famous baptism scene in "The Godfather." She was 3 weeks old when the scene was shot.

~ Oklahoma is the state with the most man-made lakes. It has more than 200 - created by building dams across streams. Its only natural lakes are shallow playas and oxbows. (Next week: What are playas and oxbows?)

I really know I shouldn't but I couldn't help it...

~ An ultracrepidarian is a person who voices opinions beyond his or her scope of knowledge.

LABOR OF LOVE

2011-08-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

A lady at work had been bringing in fresh squash...lots of fresh squash, for the past 2 weeks. Miss Polly had already put up some 20 pints of pickles. We both had several 2 pound bags in our freezer for making squash casseroles. My arm was feeling better. So, I decided I should bite the bullet and make pickles with the Friday squash.

It is a labor of love!

Start with squash, peppers, onion...

...slice them up and cover with salt. Let stand for 1 hour. (This dehydrates them so they will soak up the sweet pickling juice)

Heat vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and celery seed in dutch oven (you can also see my jars getting sterilized in the pot on the left back burner). Add squash and bring to a boil.

Last step, seal in hot, sterilized jars (hardest part)! So, here is my bounty after 3 and 1/2 hours, two batches of cooking....and I have 8 pints!

Yeah, you might say, "Wow, a whole 8 pints...not really worth it, LL." But these pickles, you can't buy, and if you have ever tasted them, you know how absolutely delicious they are! It is like I have my own little treasure!

Happy Monday!

P.S. Update on the Boo.....she will be home THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

REMEMBER HER?

2011-08-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have not laid eyes on my baby since the latter part of May! I miss her so. The good news is, she is coming home next week! The GREAT news is, she received the e-mail below last night around 9:00 pm....

Rachel,

I am pleased to inform you that as our 2nd alternate I am able to offer you an open slot into the incoming Fall 2011 NMT Class. I have attached a modified acceptance letter and will need for you to send back to me the last page indicating your intent to enter the program. Congratulations!!

I will also be sending you an e-mail concerning our orientation sessions on Monday, August15th, 2011.

Sincerely,

Norman E. Bolus, MPH, CNMT
Director, Assistant Professor
Nuclear Medicine Technology Program
Clinical & Diagnostic Sciences Department
UAB School of Health Professions, Room 446
1705 University Boulevard, B'ham. AL 35294-1212
bolusn@uab.edu
(205) 934-3427
(205) 975-7302 (fax)

I am so proud of you, Boo! And I can't wait to see you, and hold you, and pet you, and call you George!

Have a great weekend, All! I know I will!

DON'T GIVE UP ON ME...

2011-08-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

I promise, things are going to change! I am going to get back on my regular blogging schedule. Believe it or not, I feel guilty when I ignore my blog like I have been. Now, understand, it is not by choice. My life has been crazy these past couple of weeks.

But, it is time for me to get my priorities right. Time to give the people what they want...and they want ME TO BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back tomorrow with renewed vigor, a little swing in my step, and hopefully a good idea for a post!

USELESS INFO GUEST BLOG TWENDESDAY

2011-08-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

Huge shout out to Lisa TutB guest blogger today! And what better info to give us than medical.

I have just been swamped with personal and work stuff. Sorry for the sparse blogging. Will try to do better...

~ The average human bladder can hold 13 ounces of liquid - Unless you are drinking beer and that number decreases per beer! (We should know!)

~ Men have more blood than women. Men have 1.5 gallons and women have .875 gallons.

~ The human brain stops growing at the age of 18.

~ The attachment of skin to muscles is what causes dimples.

~ Of the 206 bones in the average adult body, 106 are in the hands and feet. (Notice the clavicle bone - Mine is broken!)

~ Your thumb is the same length as your nose.

ONLY IN THE SOUTH...

2011-07-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

...Meet the 2011 Ms. Alabama Nursing Home!

“Felma, who is 100 years young, beat out 74 other contestants….they all underwent 15 minute interviews. As part of your duties, Felma will travel to various nursing homes and community events.” - From TMZ.com

Happy Southern Fried Thursday! Only in the South people, Only in the South! Love it!

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-07-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

Huge shout out to Big D for Guest Blogging Useless Info Tuesday for me! As you can guess, typing is not that comfortable for me right now. (He attached pictures too, but they would not copy over).

Thanks again!

From: Thompson, David
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2011 1:58 PM
To: Laura Campbell

Subject: Useless Facts

In case you’d like a hand this week… I rounded up a few for you…
~ The Bible is the number one shoplifted book in America.

~ The English-language alphabet originally had only 24 letters. U and J were added later, in that order.

~ Mageiricophobia is the intense fear of having to cook.

~ An apple, onion, and potato all have the same taste. The differences in flavor are caused by their smell. To prove this – pinch your nose and take a bite from each. The will all taste sweet.

~ The exact geographic center of the US is near Lebanon, Kansas.

~ Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different.

AND MY FAVORITE ONE OF ALL....

~ It only takes 10 pounds of pressure to break a collarbone.

JULY HAS NOT BEEN GOOD TO ME...

2011-07-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

I am sure you all have heard the news (because I know my health and well-being is of utmost importance to you, lol)....I broke my collar bone Friday. You can see the brake in the x-ray below. It broke right where the bone should attach to the arm bone. (And no, I did not swallow a miniature chiminea. Jimmy held the x-ray up against the back door for the photo and the chiminea is on the patio.)

TCW was once again my knight in shining armor (or shining jeep) and carried me to the emergency room Friday night. TCW, Miss Polly, and this really HOT nurse Jimmaymay took good care of me all weekend.

Had some problems with getting sick on my pain pills, but then got my hands on some phenergan, so that is under control.

Saw the Ortho Dr. Sharp this morning. Good report. Funny thing is, I call Tim right as Jimmamay and me are leaving the office, and he tells me verbatim what my diagnosis is. I was like WTH, were you in the room? Turn's out, of course Lisa Tutb had sent an email (she works there) alerting TCW and BTut with my status...

"Subject: LL -

No Surgery - Dr Sharp said it is bad that it is broken but it is good that the alignment is where it should be and it should heal nicely - Told her not to get use to the immobilizer - wants her moving it as soon as next week - and no driving while on pain meds (which he changed since the tabs make her sick) She has left here one very happy lady!!"

I will not take offense that she just looked at me and laughed her a** off when we talked to her. I said "It's not funny!" She responded "I KNOW."

Answer me this...If she knew it wasn't funny, why did she almost give herself a hernia laughing?

I see the Doc again next Tuesday. Thanks to everyone for taking such good care of me. I am so lucky to have good friends. I also can't wait for July to be over.

FRIENDS

2011-07-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

Make new friends,
But keep the old.
One is silver
And the other help you clean out your Mom's house.

Thanks so much to TCW, BTut and Wino Bill. I could not have made it through the past few weeks without you.

Much Love.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-07-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

~ In the sport of golf, a condor stands for 4 under par, or a triple eagle. It would mean getting a hole in one on a par 5.

~ In Edgar Rice Burroughs' original ape-man story, "Tarzan of the Apes," Jane's hometown was Baltimore, Maryland. Her full name was Jane Porter.

~ Lacrosse is the official summer sport of Canada. It was named the official summer sport in 1994, when hockey was designated the country's official winter sport.

~ The maximum number of people who can share a Nobel Prize is 3.

~ The pangolin, or scaly anteater, of Asia and Africa is a mammal often referred to as a pine cone with legs. It has also been called an artichoke with legs.

I AM NOT COMPLAINING....

2011-07-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

...BUT I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN DRAGGED THROUGH THE RINGER!

July has been a very stressful month for me. Hopefully the second half of the month will be better. I just must refuse to deal with any mental anguish!

Mom's move - stressful - check
Cussing out German POW - infuriating - check
Working on cleaning out Mom's house all weekends and most week nights - exhausting - check
Limb falling on house - frightening - check
Dealing with psychopathic sibling for 30 hours - irritating - check
Car repairs to the Malibu costing $1600 - depressing - check
Deductible for new roof $1000 - depressing part deux - check
Being able to use Mom's car then realizing it had a flat tire - priceless because hell, I just give up for now.

Have a good weekend. I might hibernate!

OOPS! JUST CALL ME TCW!

2011-07-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

I have been carrying two red lighters around for a couple of weeks now. They both came out of the same pack. Monday, I was searching my purse for the safety deposit key when I noticed this...

TCW's addiction must have worn off on me! I now have four read lighters. I guess I assumed every time I saw a red lighter it was mine!

So, if you have been around me in the past couple of weeks and are missing a red lighter, I have it! Sorry.

P.S. Is there a pill for this?

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-07-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

~ The world's first televised sports spectacular was the Joe Loius - Bill Conn heavyweight championship at Yankee Stadium on June 19, 1946. It was seen by 45,266 paying spectators at the stadium plus an estimated 150,000 TV viewers.

~ Mouse fur was used to make fake eyebrows that were considered fashionable in the 18th century. Real eyebrows would be shaved off and replaced with fake ones.

~ The Margherita pizza's colors were intended to represent the colors of the flag of Italy - red (tomatoes), shite (mozzarella), and green (fresh basil). Created in the late 19th century, it was named in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy.

~ Sean Connery made his professional acting debut onstage as a sailor in the chorus of "South Pacific" in 1951, in London.

~ The daisy was originally known as "day's eye" because its petals, like the human eye, open in the morning and close at night. Through usage, day's eye eventually became daisy.

JUST SITTING THERE MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS...

2011-07-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

...when this happened!

Yes, I was spending quality time with the Byebye last night watching Big Brother. Around 8:45 I thought a helicopter hit my house...the windows rattled, huge crash. I looked at my freaked out dog and said "This can not be good." My BFF TCW came down and climbed up on the roof with a flashlight. He is priceless! He could not see any gaping holes.

I called my yardman "Streamline Cutting" to have his brother come give me an estimate. I was leaving for work this morning and they pulled up. Needless to say, the limb is now cut up and on the ground. I do have a small hole that they covered with a tarp. They are great. Waiting on the insurance adjuster...wish me luck.

I'M BACK!

2011-07-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am back. Mother is moved and having a blast at her new digs. We are cleaning out the house this weekend, so if any of you want to help, just come on down.

Huge thanks to TCW and BTut! Love, Love, Love you! I couldn't have done it without you.

Summing up the move...

There were tears...
There were laughs...
There were cuss words...
There were strained moments...
There were sighs of relief...
There were alcoholic beverages...
Nuff' said!

TAKING SOME DOWN TIME...

2011-06-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging recently. As many of you know, I have been having some issues with Mom. But, things are looking up. She is moving next week to Cedar Springs Retirement Living next week. I have been very busy trying to get the move lined up, her packed, etc.

Mom is very excited about this new chapter in her life, which makes it much easier for me. Hopefully things will settle down in the coming weeks.

Love

USELESS INFO TWENDNESDAY

2011-06-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

~ The human brain uses 20% of the typical adult body's oxygen and caloric intake.

~ Mauve was the color of the first synthetic dye. It was accidentally produced in 1856 by British chemistry student William Perkin while he was trying to synthesize quinine as a cure for malaria.

~ If you are at 0' latitude and 0' longitude you are at the spot where the equator intersects with the prime meridian-in the Atlantic (in the Gulf of Guinea), off the coast of Africa about 380 miles south of Ghana.

~ At the outset of World War II, the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. had a subterranean bunker with desks, beds, and a fully stocked kitchen set up for the president. The bombproof emergency shelter was kept in readiness 24/7 in the event of an air attack on the nation's capital.

TEMPORARY PARTNER...

2011-06-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

...In the smoking lounge. Since Rachel is away for the Summer, I have a temporary sidekick!

Her name is Sally May Jefferson Jackson Johnson Washington. You can call her "Miss Washington."

Come home soon Rayray! Your Gma is driving me crazy.

SOUTHERN FRIED THURSDAY

2011-06-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

If you know anything about me, you know that I love to read. I am always reading a book. I love all different authors and subjects, fiction and non-fiction. Being from the South, I have read a lot of Southern authors' works. I love the Wikipedia definition of Southern literature:

"Southern literature is defined as American literature about the Southern United States or by writers from this region. Characteristics of Southern literature include a focus on a common Southern history, the significance of family, a sense of community and one's role within it, a sense of justice, the region's dominant religion (Christianity) and the burdens/rewards religion often brings, issues of racial tension, land the the promise it brings, a sense of social class and place...."

Some Southern authors I have enjoyed include: Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Harper Lee, Margaret Mitchell (of course), Alice Walker (The Color Purple), Kathryn Tucker Windam, John Berendt (Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil), Pat Conroy, Fannie Flagg, John Grisham, Tom Wolfe, and Anne Rice, to name a few.

I also found this excerpt about Southern Writers on a website called "Guide to Southern Writers." (real original name huh?)

"One of the richest cultural traditions of the South is its history of literature and storytelling. Common theses used by Southern writers are a sense of place, strong family relationships and a rich tapestry of language and character."

So, it's Summer, pick up a book, preferably by a Southern writer, and let yourself escape...

"In the South, perhaps more than any other region, we go back to our home in dreams and memories, hoping it remains what it was on a lazy, still summer's day twenty years ago." - Willie Morris.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-06-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

~ One million dollars in one hundred dollar bills weighs about 22 pounds, according to the U.S. Treasury.

~ Armenia's coat of arms features a picture of Noah's Ark resting atop Mount Ararat. Mount Ararat has long been considered the sacred symbol of Armenia and the spiritual home of its people.

~ There are four sports where players dribble the a ball - basketball, soccer, water polo and bandy. Bandy is a winter sport played on ice with a ball and a stick.

~ In 1945, Betty Crocker, a fictitious character created in 1921 to answer consumer baking questions, came in second when Eleanor Roosevelt was voted the most famous woman in the U.S. in a Fortune magazine survey.

~ Koala's front paws are very unusual. There are two thumbs on each front paw along with three fingers.

WEEKEND CHECK LIST

2011-06-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

1. Good Deed - Relay for life - check
2. Being Inconvienced - Driving to Auburn to secure my brother's house - check
3. Fearing for My Life - Driving home in a terrible thunderstorm - check
4. Performing Work - Working 5 Hours At Home on My Incurred Cost Proposal On Sunday- check
5. Being Entertained - Watched My Sunday Night Shows, Enjoyed Spending All Day Saturday with My Baby Jimmy - check
6. Leaving Work - And Going To Happy Hour on Monday - priceless!

MISS ME?

2011-06-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

Well, this has been quite a week. Let's list some things that have happened since I last blogged...

1. Wienergate (Anthony Wiener admitting he sent lewd text messages of various body parts)

2. Huge limb fell in my yard

3. Mavericks leading the Heat in NBA Championship

4. I have watched this weeks episode of "Game of Thrones" 3 more times

5. Glen Beck announced he is starting his own network

6. I predicted Hillary Clinton will run for President in 2012

7. My Mom fell (she is ok just horrible bruising)

8. Someone tried to steal the air conditioning unit at my brother's house in Auburn (hence Jimmy and I will be making a trip to the Loveliest Village on the Plains in the morning.

9. My daughter got on to me for not blogging about her birthday!

Happy, Happy, Happy 21st Birthday Rayray. I miss you so much! And Josh a little too! LOL

Christmas morning 2010.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

2011-06-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

~ Alex Rodriguez was the first slugger whose home run was checked by instant replay in major league baseball history. In a September 2008 game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The home run call was upheld.

~ TheDandie Dinmont Terrier is the only breed of dog named after a fictional character. It was named for a farmer who owned six of the hunting terriers in Sir Walter Scott's 1814 novel "Guy Mannering."

~ Queen Victoria made white wedding gowns fashionable. In 1840, she married her cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg wearing white.

~ The state capital of Montana, Helena, was originally known as Crabtown. It was named for John Crab, one of four prospectors whose discovery of gold there in 1864 brought other fortune seekers to the area, turning it into a boom town.

FRIDAY NIGHT'S ALL WRIGHT...

2011-06-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

...for singing! or "I was Wrighted," "Read my Wrights" "the Wright Stuff"....I had so many titles to choose from...

Spent Friday night at the Right Wrights for a "singing." Had a blast listening to R Right Wright sing and tell jokes. I had heard it was a fun thing to witness, and now I know first hand!

Get down with your bad self, R Right Wright...

Blacey and AndyRandy were there...B Blacey sang some too!

Wait! Who is that in the corner? None other than Wino Bill and BTut! Hey, nobody sits Baby in the corner (name that movie). There is my bottle of wine on the corner of the table - Zen of Zin - very good!

R AndyRandy and TCW's goiter head! LOL

Had a wonderful time! Hope to do it again soon.

P.S. My camera's battery went dead before I could get a picture of K Right Wright and C, but....they're PRETTY!